Qambel Māran

Syriac Chants from South India

"Capturing the sounds of these melodies at this juncture is an imperative because, more than music, they are an integral part of the history of a people, linguistic soundscape of a region, and musical map of a country. Moreover, the performers are crucial witnesses to a transnational tradition that is in rapid transition."-- Joseph J. Palackal

Chants in Syriac (Aramaic) from the Chaldean liturgy of the Syro-Malabar Church of the St. Thomas Christians. Includes chants from the liturgy of the Hours, Raza, funeral services, Syriac translation of Latin chants by St.Thomas Aquinas, and chants for special occasions such as wedding and celebration of the feast of the Blessed Virgin and saints.

Performers include Fr.Abel Periyappuram, C.M.I. (1920-2001), Fr. Probus Perumalil, C.M.I., et al. Recorded in Kerala, South India, in 1999 and 2000. Recorded and annotated by Joseph J. Palackal. Total time 66:00

Tracks 1, 4, 5, 9, 10-14, 18, 20-22, 24, 25, 29 recorded at the chapel of St.Joseph's Monastery, Mannanam, Kerala, India, on August 27, 1999 with a Philips cassette recording deck connected to an Ahuja Studio Master Mixer and six Ahuja (SM 580) microphones. The other chants were recorded at a moderately equipped recording studio of the Christian Arts and Communication (CAC), Ernakulam, India, on August 23, 2000.

"This recording makes an important contribution to the documentation of South Asian religious music and of Christian chant traditions."
- D. Richard Widdess (SOAS, University of London): Yearbook for Traditional Music, vol. 37 (2005), pp. 184-185.

"This important collection reflects the history of multicultural Christianity in Kerala and should be of significant appeal to those interested in early Christian music, Middle Eastern and Orthodox sects (particularly pre-maqam practices), as well as those wanting to diversify their collections of music from India."
- Zoe C. Sherinian (University of Oklahoma): Asian Music, vol. 37, no. 2 (Summer/Fall 2006), pp. 158-161. See the opening page of the review here; full review available through JSTOR

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